my new favorite...

One of my favorite recipes that I have been enjoying these days is sooo yummy I wanted to share it with all of you.

Consider it my gift.
Garlic, butter spray, lemon pepper or lemon juice, tons of spinach and Shrimp. I toss it all in a pan and cook until the spinach is wilted and the shrimp is warm. Yum! and healthy!

Be excellent to each other...
-quoted by a blogging buddy

Go Pioneers!

On occasion, I find myself in possession of groceries that I would not normally have in my kitchen. It is a blessing and a curse. Okay, it's a regular Thursday night. The fam is sitting around after dinner chilling out and Reagan is doing her homework, and I decide to clean out the fridge. In the back, disguised as milk is a gallon- yes, I said gallon, of heavy whipping cream. Strange, I know. So I think, what am I going to do with this???
I could:
A. Make a vat of Alfredo sauce to feed the neighborhood. Uhh, not diet friendly and wayy to tempting.
B. Make whipped cream- but I can't eat pie or ice cream sundaes, so that is out.
C. wait for it to go sour and throw it out... hmmm too wasteful.
D. Make butter. Yes! that sounds like fun, and butter stores right?? we could use my homemade butter for Thanksgiving! I could be like a modern pioneer! Let's do it!

Okay, remember when you made butter in elementary school by shaking the jar of cream for eternity? I decided to use a mixer instead. It still took 20 minutes! I kept waiting and waiting and waiting. But finally, voila! Butter. What I didn't know it that you have to squeeze it, wash it, and dry it. I had no idea about all of this, or how much butter I was going to end up with. So here I am with my butter masterpiece. For those of you who know me, this is as close as I want to ever be to being like a pioneer! It took me about an hour to make all this butter. I am estimating it is about 8lbs, but now I have silky soft "buttery" smooth hands and enough butter to last until Obama has taken over the planet. yea me again. I cannot blame Family Fun magazine for this one. I had this idea all by myself.

Doin' the Halloween thing Harward Style

It all began with the stupid FAMILY FUN magazine. I could rant about that mag, but I will save that for another post... Okay, my week begins with a little party at Abbie's Preschool. Of course I am stupid, so I volunteer to make a Halloween treat. Here is what I make. Cute right?



That goes off well, so I venture to a larger more complex goody for our playgroup party ( yet another stupid thing I volunteered for) And This is what I created. Cute huh, a chocolate cupcake with dirt and worms. Yeah me!

Now, you should note, that at this point in the week, I am really getting overwhelmed and a bit crazed. I am not good, nor very natural at creating baked and decorated snacks. These snacks did not come easy and my demeanor is beginning to show it. At the play-group party I am a mad woman. Things do not go well. There is Orange icing smeared on the floor, 23 uneaten chocolate dirt and worm cupcakes still on the tray, one in the trash and about 20 spider crackers on the tray, children running in the parking lot, ripped costumes, torn decorations, and some happy chatty moms. I however, am fuming inside! Not one of my cupcake creations got eaten! I spent way too much time making the fetchers and not one! oooohhh, but the entire box of powdered donuts is licked clean! AHHHGGHH! So take that Family Fun! I am now buying all my treats at the hostess outlet! Okay, I really want to eat some chocolate right now... Unfortunately, I am on a ridiculious diet that does not allow chocolate, even for medicinal purposes. So I have to sit in the dark for 10 minutes until I can come down from my frenzy.

Okay, after the party was cleaned up and over, the day got progressively better. We went to an assisted living place with the girls to Trick or Treat and then hit the streets to earn ourselves some candy! It was a little rainy, but we had a ton of fun. Abbie was cute, singing and talking to all the people and Reagan loved all the attention. Dan sneakily ate candy so as not to tempt me, and I sneakily ate candy so as not to get busted cheating. So, It was a super fun/super crazy day. Typical Harward style.

Pumpkin patching it.

To get back to our roots, we took the 30 minute trip to J&J to partake of the "Free pumpkin and a hayride" thing. Unfortunately we chose the coldest and the busiest night in October. Man, it was freezing! We waited for about 1 hour and finally picked out the pumpkins as the clock struck 9:00. It was a late night, but part of our little family tradition.

Of course, there is the carving event also. We carved our pumpkins right before Halloween to help get the house all spookied up (as Reagan likes to say.) It was Dan's Idea to make a throw-up pumpkin, so we all had a turn holding the pumpkin puke! yeah, for a silly hubby.

One of our neighbors commented that we had "one sick pumpkin on our porch.

Love letter to Jason Mraz

Dear Jason,
I just wanted to thank you for such a special night that we shared. It was truly magical. I don't know how you do it. How can I be in an arena surrounded by people and feel like you are singing only to me? Your voice transports me to a simpler time and place where everyone feels loved and happy. Thank you for transforming my Tuesday night into a wondrous memory that I will cherish for many nights.
Well, you done me and you bet I felt it I tried to be chill but you're so hot that I melted, I won't hesitate no more, It cannot wait, I'm yours. Look into your heart and you'll find love love love. I'm yours.
Your music is my remedy to an ordinary life. Because of you, I won't worry my life away. Thank you Jason, for being my ray of sunshine in confused world.
Your Love Always, Nicole

Hot Air Balloon Part Deux

Our last balloon ride was cut short because of "bad wind" so we got to have another complimentary ride today. This time we brought along the girls and Mac have them a quick little ride. Reagan thought it was the bees knees and show and tell worthy, but Abbie was a little freaked out when he ran the burner. She would hide her face in her coat and wait for it to stop. She was really nervous about getting burned. I guess that would seem really scary to be so closer to a blazing fire like that. It was a really nice day, but still a bit chilly so early in the morning. Yea, for family adventures.

Wardrobe Dillema

So, I have heard that it is not appropriate to wear white after labor day. But I also heard from our local fashion expert (on good things utah) that we could wear white- but not pants- until the end of September. So here it is October 1st and I am officially packing away my white, and summer clothes. Can it really hoody time? I am an avid collector and lover of hoodies (especially the new one from Modbe, you can contact my friend Anne about that) but can it really be time for that? I swear, it must be like 75 degrees today! That is awesome! if I had it my way, it would be 75 degrees all the time, but I digress. So, it is too hot for hoodies and sweaters, too cold for capris- and probably out of season, and short sleeves... not the morning. Yikes! what am I to do?

As I am packing, I am sad to say goodbye to my favorite spring/summer accessory, aside from flip-flops that never should be put away, my white purse. I was tenative at the first to dive into the white purse waters... but now I am hooked! I adore the colored and trendy purses. White seemed a little to out there for me, but it was great, we had a good run. I do feel strange carrying it around when I am wearing a hoody ( and sweating in it). So, to my favorite white purse I say Adieu and farewell.

Is it time for boots yet???